Description of the attraction
The Bir Hakeim bridge, which connects the Quai Branly and the Rue Georges Pompidou, looks unusual: it has two floors. Metro trains run on the upper floor, cars, cyclists and pedestrians move along the lower floor.
Does the metro bridge mean more or less modern? No, because the Paris Metro, one of the oldest in the world, was launched in 1900 for the World's Fair. The new mode of transport developed rapidly and required its own infrastructure. In 1902, a competition was announced for a new bridge to replace the pedestrian Passy.
The bridge was built under the direction of Louis Biet. Two metal structures, each with three spans, are separated by a monumental stone arch decorated with four allegorical statues - Science and Labor by Jules Coutant, Electricity and Commerce by Jean-Antoine Injalbert. The upper level, along which the metro line runs, rests on slender, graceful columns illuminated by Art Deco lamps. On the pillars of the bridge there are cast-iron sculptural groups of Gustave Michel: sailors with the stylized coat of arms of Paris and blacksmiths riveting a shield with the monogram "RF" ("Republic of France").
On June 18, 1949, the anniversary of the proclamation of the Resistance, the bridge was renamed in honor of the defense of Bir Hakeim. In May-June 1942, the French, under the command of General Koenig, defended a small fort from Rommel's troops for sixteen days in the most difficult conditions. This battle in the Libyan desert was the first for the forces of the fighting France and showed the Allies that the French army could do its part in the fight against the Reich.
On one side of the arch in the middle of the bridge there is a descent to the bulk Swan Island, on which the Parisian Statue of Liberty stands. On the other, there is a platform with an equestrian statue "Renaissance France" by the Danish sculptor Holger Vederkinch. The expressive sculpture - a girl with a huge sword on a racing horse - first portrayed Jeanne d'Arc and was donated by Denmark to Paris. The city council considered Jeanne to be too belligerent and refused the gift. An international scandal was brewing, but after the intervention of the Danish embassy, a compromise decision was made - to name the sculpture "Resurgent France". This option was approved by the city council, and in 1958 the statue was erected on the bridge in the presence of the Danish ambassador. The area where the sculpture stands offers a magnificent view of the Eiffel Tower. Jeanne, that is, France, seems to point at her with a sword.
